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Alyssa Fisher

COOPER CITY, Fla. — The eye of Irma passed over Charles Ewing’s home in Naples, but he considers himself lucky.
“I’ve never experienced anything like that,” he said. “There was so much rain, I couldn’t see anything through the window.”
Monday morning, Ewing, who moved with his wife, Sharon, from Clarence last summer, assessed the damage. The street was flooded, and…

COOPER CITY, Fla. — On Friday night, we learned Hurricane Irma was shifting west, an unanticipated move that sent the coast scrambling.
Charles Ewing couldn’t find sandbags, so he spent much of Saturday pouring kitty litter into socks.
Lori Mazan lives in a flood zone and had to evacuate.
Julie Nedelko’s patio furniture is in her living room.
Even those who wer…

Summer is over and the meadows of Delaware Park have turned rather golden but are no less magical.
Every day is a portrait of bliss sprawled along the 350-acre lawn.
It’s easy to take it for granted, especially for people who have spent their lives running around it, playing sports on it, or driving past it.
[PHOTO GALLERY: A day in and around Delaware Park]
Each after…

Gregg Mojica had a tough decision to make.He had just gotten a dream job offer from Facebook, the social media behemoth. The job paid well – extremely well, in fact – and would allow him to grow professionally at a business that is on the cutting edge of communication technology. But it also would mean moving across the country away from his family and delaying his educati…

Couples that eat at Mighty Taco together stay together. At least that’s the theory of Joe Fratello and Sarah Potozniak. The Cheektowaga couple is on a mission to dine at all of the Buff-Mex restaurant’s 24 locations. Since their quest began in September, they’ve made it to 19, each marked off by an orange highlighter in Potozniak’s composition book. The journey started rig…

Croquet, the genteel pastime of family and friends, is played on the verdant lawns of a warm summer night – the conversation light and playful, just like the game. For the croquet community, however, it is as intense a sport as any other. On Saturday, the bocce courts at Delaware Park off Parkside Avenue had wickets sticking out of the ground, which had been manicured to …

As a kid, Ben Madoff was determined to learn to cartwheel. The moment felt right one night when his parents went out. He didn’t care how long it took – he was going to nail it. Instead, he smashed his head into a piano bench. As the blood gushed, he thought, “Maybe I’m not meant to go upside down.”For about 20 years, he didn’t.Acroyoga changed that. Discovering this yoga-a…

As a kid, Ben Madoff was determined to learn to cartwheel.
The moment felt right one night when his parents went out. He didn’t care how long it took – he was going to nail it.
Instead, he smashed his head into a piano bench.
See a list of free summer acroyoga classes below
As the blood gushed, he thought, “Maybe I’m not meant to go upside down.”
For about 20 year…

At Knox Field, under a grand white tent, was East Aurora’s version of the Kentucky Derby.Conversation and champagne flowed as a polo match was in play. The mood was set, however, by the sea of extravagant hats.Philanthropists and polo enthusiasts gathered Saturday for the third annual Memorial Polo Cup, hosted by The Stables at Knox Inc. Proceeds from the $125 VIP tickets …

As he spoke at the lectern, Justin Wallens reached down and pet Diamond, the 12-year-old Doberman pinscher panting at his side.In March, Diamond’s owners were convicted for her severe malnourishment and open wounds. On Friday, the now-healthy dog stood with the SPCA as a representative of the successes seen in the new Animal Cruelty Unit established by the Erie County Dist…

Sometimes after work, Peter Stevens hops on his boat and heads to Smoke on the Water in Tonawanda, where he picks up ribs and brings dinner home to the family. Stevens, a boater for 59 years and a member of the Buffalo Yacht club, is one of the many taking advantage of dock-and-dine season. The region has ample restaurants that encourage boaters to pull up, hop off and gra…

Nancy Davidoff Kelton’s editors advised her to forgo decorating her memoir’s back cover with authors’ praise. She only needed one thing: her first line. “My father in his coffin looked better than most of the men I dated.”This drew a delighted response from the small but enthusiastic crowd of friends and aspiring writers who gathered at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Lib…

Journalist David Farrier makes a career out of looking into the bizarre parts of life. It’s no wonder that when the New Zealand entertainment and pop-culture reporter stumbled upon a video of competitive tickling, he knew he found his next story. Unexpectedly, it turned into the provocative documentary “Tickled.”The film is indeed bizarre. What was originally thought to be…

I’ve lived in Florida all my life: born and raised around Fort Lauderdale, graduated from the University of Florida.
Cue the amusing variations of, “You left Florida for Buffalo? Why would you do such a thing? Can we trade places?”
I’ve responded honestly: It’s been about a month, and so far I really like it. I have a great job, my calendar is overwhelmed with events…

Police responded to the report of a brawl in the parking of an Orchard Park bar about midnight Friday, and when they arrived, an employee told them that the people involved were “highly intoxicated” but had departed in a vehicle south on Orchard Park Road.Police went in that direction and soon saw the vehicle that was described and attempted to stop it for vehicle and traf…